


A Study in Daffodils and Dahlias, Sources Cited

by traptrixnepenthes



Category: Future Card Buddyfight
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, M/M, lotus disease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 15:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8584057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traptrixnepenthes/pseuds/traptrixnepenthes
Summary: someone once asked me on twitter to write some fluffy kaketasu. this is my serenade to themwarnings for trypo, emeto, and body horror, although all are in a medical context and none are talked about too in depth in my professional opinion





	

Tasuku awoke to the familiar, sterile surroundings of his hospital room, and he had no idea how long it had been since he last was conscious. There were no clocks in the room, and no windows other than the one that was obviously a one-way mirror, used to keep track of his condition and not for him to look through. Not even the lights worked on a schedule, since they were motion-activated and only turned on if Tasuku waved to catch the doctor’s attention, or if the doctor himself came in before he awoke. It was easy enough to lose one’s sense of time.

It wasn’t often that he woke up before the doctor came to wake him up, and the dark room wasn’t something he was used to. The only source of light was from the crack under the door out, shining off the plastic floor tiles, giving the room the faintest glow to it. And the room felt…surprisingly empty, without the doctor that had put him here.

It wasn’t that he was _lonely_ , mind you. Tasuku’d just gotten used to talking to him first thing every time he woke up, and it was the only kind of interaction he got in this place. He was bored, and that was the only thing that inspired him to wave up at the camera in the corner. The lights clicked on, and moments later, the door clicked open.

“Good morning, Tasuku! You woke up a bit earlier than I was expecting. Now that I’m not administering tranquilizers, you’re a bit harder to keep track of, you know?” Futaboshi Kakeru smiled at him cheerfully, and walked over to the bedside after closing the door behind him. “Did you sleep shorter hours when you were still working?”

Tasuku didn’t react to the other boy lifting his arm and checking his pulse and temperature. It was routine by now. “Not really. It was more like anything could wake me up, I guess.” Kakeru’s fingers were warm against his skin. “Were you cooking again?”

“Bingo! I wanted to surprise you with something new, but the cat’s out of the bag now. But I have some news I think you’ll like to make up for it!” As if it was actually going to be good news. “I’m sure you’re already aware, but your condition has begun to spread to your chest. That means I can start leaving your shoulder alone for a bit, and just let it grow naturally.”

Not good news. After being here for so long, he could finally look at it, but seeing his right arm dotted with clusters of holes was never a pleasant sight. Tasuku glanced down at it, and regretted it immediately–he could see the tiny seeds poking out of his skin, the seeds that Kakeru pulled out of him for research purposes and more. They’d never been allowed to take root and the idea twisted his stomach, somehow more horrifying than anything else about his situation. Would it hurt? Could he feel it? What would they turn into?

“Feeling nervous? It is something we haven’t seen yet. Isn’t it exciting?”

Tasuku was still staring at his arm–it didn’t feel like he was looking at something connected to his own body. Fragrant black gunk was oozing out of the empty holes, and just thinking about the fact that it really was _him_ made him feel sick. He just couldn’t get used to it.

“…sure. What were you making?”

“Well, you’ll find out soon enough.” Kakeru patted his hand, and that hadn’t changed the topic nearly as much as Tasuku had hoped for. “The other good news I have for you is I won’t need to be harvesting anymore seeds from you for a while, since I think I have everything I need for now.” He paused, and peered at Tasuku from behind his glasses. “Are you okay? You don’t look so well.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but the idea of saying that he felt ill over the concept of getting turned into Kakeru’s personal flower garden after seeing the sparkle in those golden eyes as he talked about how _exciting_ it would be, how it’d be _something never seen before_ , made his stomach twist itself up even more. He couldn’t be that rude, even if it was about an experiment on his own body.

So instead he just shook his head and said, “No, I just feel a little--” 

Tasuku smacked a hand over his mouth, a pressure rising at the back of his throat, and he jerked away from Kakeru. His mind told him to run to the sink at the side of the room but that only led to him falling off the bed and crashing onto the floor in a tangle of blankets and he laid there, retching. But there was no wet sound of anything hitting the floor, no awful taste in his mouth, but he could feel _something_ coming out. Maybe--the thought sent chills down his spine-- _maybe_ this was the result of something Kakeru had done to him.

But then a hand was on his shoulder, and a hand rubbing his back, and Kakeru was sitting there beside him making soft soothing noises while Tasuku finished emptying his guts out onto the floor. Breathing hard, he could finally sit back and wipe his mouth off, and--

“...That’s interesting.”

Kakeru’s voice opened his eyes, and before him, instead of a godawful mess, there were delicate yellow flower petals spread over the floor, and one full bloom. A single daffodil. Kakeru reached out and picked a petal up off the ground, not even bothering to put gloves on first, and examined it closely, turning it around in his fingers.

“...I thought this was an urban legend! This is incredible!”

Tasuku, still in shock at what had just happened, kept staring at the flowers in front of him. “What...what? What just happened?”

“There’s a disease from Magic World with symptoms just like this one, but the thing is, no one’s ever directly handled a case of it! No one’s really sure if it even actually exists, but I can still tell you what I know about it.” Kakeru dropped the petal, and it fluttered to the ground. It...really was just a normal flower petal. That had come out of Tasuku’s throat. “They say there’s a disease that spreads mostly through the students at the academy. It makes you throw up flowers, just like you did here, and they say they know the cause, too!”

Tasuku sat back, feeling too shaky to keep holding himself up on his arms. “And? What is it? Is it caused by being around creepy doctors for too long?”

Kakeru laughed, a kind of scratchy but still melodious sound. “It’s caused by having an unreturned love.”

Silence stretched out, and Tasuku stared incredulously at him.

“I guess you could say you’re lovesick?”

“ _Excuse_ me?”

“See, the really interesting thing is, I have no idea how you caught it! There’s no reason for you to have it, since this _is_ a sterile environment. Unless...”

“Sure you didn’t infect me with it like you did _this_ one?” Tasuku jabbed a thumb at his shoulder, still oozing muck, but Kakeru’s smile didn’t falter even the slightest at the accusation.

“In any case, I know the cure, too. Since the cause is that you love but aren’t loved in return, you just have to get that person to love you back! I’ve heard it can be fatal, though...” Kakeru tapped a finger against Tasuku’s throat. “The petals can get all clogged up in there, so let me get you something to drink. We wouldn’t want you suffocating!”

Kakeru helped him back up, and he felt shaky. Part of it was the fact that because he’d been asleep and bedridden for so long, his legs just didn’t have the strength to support himself anymore. And the other part was...

“...hey.” Tasuku hated showing weakness, and hated even more having to rely on the words of the doctor that had trapped him here, but... “Are you sure it isn’t just caused by what you’ve been...feeding me?”

For the entirety of Tasuku’s stay here, Kakeru had been hand-cooking his meals, and every single one was made with seeds pulled from his shoulder. In Tasuku’s mind, it didn’t feel too far fetched to think that might be related.

But Kakeru just stopped and pondered for a moment. His eyes were somewhere far away, thinking about possibilities and probabilities miles away from the patient laying in front of him, until he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Daffodil seeds and your seeds look very different from each other, in both shape and color.” He smiled, that soft, knowing smile. “That’s a childish fear you’ve got there, Tasuku! Are you really _that_ opposed to the idea that you’re in love?”

Kakeru left, and Tasuku was left stewing on his last words. _Obviously_ it couldn’t be because he was in love. He hadn’t developed these symptoms until today, and the only person he’d been around since the first infection was...

The door clicked open again and Kakeru returned, holding a mug. Tasuku could smell it from here--a soft, flowery fragrance than he had come to associate with Kakeru, even though he knew it came from things pried out of his arm. So Kakeru was still keeping him to this diet, even after what had happened just minutes earlier. The idea of what he’d be drinking turned his stomach into knots again, even though feeling sick was the _opposite_ of what he was trying to do here.

“Here,” Kakeru said, sitting down in the chair by the bedside, “I sweetened it with a bit of honey, to soothe your throat, just in case it got irritated from that. I hope it isn’t too sweet for your tastes.”

Tasuku took the mug, and it was warm in his hands. Even if he hated it, this was all he was going to get, and he took a sip--it tasted like it smelled, sweet and soft, like a memory of a sunny summer afternoon. Even if he hated it, and he hated it more than anything else in the world, it was soothing, filling his body with warmth in that special way only hot drinks could. Maybe he was just feeling poetic after getting told he’d be getting lovesick with flowers, but the honey made it taste like liquid sunshine.

He drank more, and the more he drank, the more he could feel his grip weaken, his eyes getting heavy. Dully, he realized that it’d been spiked with something.

Kakeru took the mug from his hands before it could fall, and smiled that enigmatic smile. “Goodnight, Tasuku. I’m really sorry, but now you’re showing new symptoms, I’ll have to put you on my schedule again. Sweet dreams.”

\----------------

Over the next few days, or what felt like days, Tasuku spent most of his time asleep. His mornings were heralded by a gentle voice saying “Good morning!” and his nights were brought minutes later by the same voice saying “Goodnight. Sweet dreams!” as the tranquilizers kicked in. He and Kakeru would talk about this and that and sometimes about what was happening ouside the tiny room Tasuku was confined to, but even then there wasn't much the doctor would talk about. More often, their conversations were about Tasuku's condition, and how it hadn't gotten better.

Their conversations felt like dreams, and if Kakeru had told him as much, he would've believed it. They lasted about as long as dreams did. It was like he was floating, rather than being alive.

But he had a way to track time now--the seeds had sprouted, and then turned into little buds against his skin. Every time their life cycle took another notable step forward, Kakeru would let him stay awake longer as he wrote down notes on an old-fashioned clipboard and paper, whispering what he scribbled down under his breath. Skin closed over hole. Two leaves sprouted, both green. Bud formed, red petals. Seems to be supporting itself on nutrients in the host's blood. Will have to improve diet so neither expire.

And, each and every time Kakeru woke him up, he'd feel the same nauseating pressure in his throat, and it'd build and build and build until he started coughing up flowers in the middle of Kakeru's words, and the doctor would rub his back and coo soothing things into his ear until he was done. It was almost routine by now.

This morning, however, was different from all the others. This time, when Kakeru gently woke Tasuku, and Tasuku opened his eyes and saw that kind face, amber eyes and soft green hair and a smile that’d be comforting if he didn’t know what was behind it, and he started retching at the sight of it. He jerked up and shoved Kakeru’s hands away, covering his mouth and turning away so the doctor couldn’t see. He hated being seen like this, and he hated _Kakeru_ seeing him like this--repulsive and gross, shuddering as flowers fell from between his fingers. Disgusting.

The yellow blossoms fell into his lap, and Tasuku felt awful, like things were getting caught in his throat. He couldn’t stop coughing, taking shaky, shuddery breaths when he could, and familiar hands on his shoulders did nothing to help. It _hurt_ , and it didn’t stop hurting until he was done, chest heaving as he stared down at the flowers.

There were only full blooms this time, with no loose petals; just full daffodils, bright yellow against the soft blue of his blanket. Kakeru gently patted his back and said, “Well now, greeting me with flowers? How romantic!” He gently gathered them all up, and Tasuku couldn’t bear to look at him. Not after that right after waking up. “You know, daffodils are my favorite flower. What a coincidence that they’d come from you!”

“...can you bring me something to drink? My throat hurts.” He sounded pathetic. If the fact that he acted like this ever hit the public, the reputation he’d spent four years building would come crashing down around him.

But Kakeru just squeezed his shoulder. “Of course. I’ll be right back!”

Tasuku was left alone with his thoughts again, something that wasn’t pleasant anymore in this place. What if Kakeru was right? What if this _was_ because he was in love? What if-- _what if--_ the reason he always felt nauseous and always choked up more daffodils when he saw Kakeru was--

The door opened, and rather than carrying a mug or a thermos, Kakeru dragged in two chairs, setting them up in the emptiest part of the room. Next came a low table, and finally, a tray with a full tea set--a teapot, saucers and cups, a little carafe of milk and a jar of sugar cubes.

Tasuku stared at the setup blankly. “What’s all this for?”

Kakeru’s smiled, and for once, it felt like there were no ulterior motives behind it. “I just felt like taking more time to be around you today. Now come on, let’s get you on your feet.”

Together, they eased Tasuku’s feet onto the floor, and after so long without standing up, he felt shaky. But Kakeru’s shoulder was right there, just in case he started to fall. Reassuring. Solid.

Once Tasuku was in his chair, Kakeru poured their cups, dropping cube after cube after cube into his own until the color changed and it looked like it’d overflow. Which was normal for Kakeru, but something still felt...off.

“This smell...it’s not the usual tea, right?” It was still flowery, but it wasn’t the sickly sweet smell he was used to.

“You’re absolutely right! It feels like today might be a special occasion, so I decided to be a little extravagant and made a pot of my favorite tea. It’s made with roses.”

“Doesn’t adding so much sugar ruin the flavor?”

Kakeru was silent, his smile not moving an inch. Tasuku took a sip of his tea and frowned, before ashamedly taking a few sugar cubes for his own.

“Oh? Now what’s _this_?” Kakeru’s grin was Cheshire-like, practically splitting his face in half. “I wouldn’t have expected the _Prince of Buddyfight_ to add so much sugar to his tea!”

Refusing to be baited, Tasuku simply said, “Guess I’ve developed a bit of a sweet tooth being here.”

Kakeru laughed, and it was still scratchy, but in a pretty way. A warm way. “Well, that’s fair. I am pretty fond of my sweets.”

A regular conversation. Their first one in...however long it’d been since Tasuku first woke up here. They just sat and talked and Kakeru didn’t talk about Tasuku’s conditions and Tasuku didn’t ask Kakeru when he could leave, and talking without thinking about all of that made him notice some things. Like how Kakeru’s sleeves were a touch too long, and covered his palms a little. And how the corners of his eyes would scrunch up when he laughed. And how he’d tilt his head a little to the left when Tasuku would talk. And a million other little details that he’d noticed before but had never really _seen_ before.

Tasuku’s stomach felt twisted up in knots, but not like it did when he was about to be sick. It was something else entirely, and he didn’t know what it was, or why every little thing Kakeru did made him feel like this.

“Oh!” Kakeru’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “I do have one other little treat for you, to celebrate the occasion. It’s cake! I got it at this little store, so you don’t have to worry about what’s in it.”

Kakeru stood up and walked towards the door, but Tasuku reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his lab coat as he passed. He wasn’t sure why he’d done that, but now Kakeru was looking at him. He couldn’t back down now.

“Is something the matter, Tasuku?”

“Uh. No, I...”

Kakeru took Tasuku’s hand in his, looking concerned. His hand was warm and soft. “Are you feeling sick? Do you need me to get you anything?”

Tasuku shook his head, and he was struck with the familiar sensation of things stuck in his throat. He just couldn’t say what he wanted to say. “I...I’m not...I think I love you?”

There was a pause, a stretch of stunned silence as Kakeru blinked down at him. And then, like a merciful angel’s blessing, his doctor smiled--gentle and kind. He said, “I love you too, Tasuku.”

Before he could even process those words, Kakeru brushed the hair away from Tasuku’s face and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. He still had Tasuku’s hand in his--Kakeru’s hands, the hands that had put him here, the hands that had drawn blood, the hands that had done his injections, the hands that cooked for him, the hands that fed him, the hands that comforted him when he was sick--and Kakeru squeezed it, a comforting gesture. “If I didn’t love you, why else would I keep you here all for myself? Now hold on while I get the cake.”

Kakeru gently pulled his hand away, and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him with a soft _click_. Tasuku’s head was spinning--absolutely too much had happened in too short a time, and he didn’t have any idea how to react. Just what did Kakeru mean by...?

Just as the words started to hit him, a wave of nausea hit him harder, the now all-too-familiar pressure rising in his throat, and he slumped to the floor, coughing, muffled laughter coming from behind the door.

\----------------

_For though Echo's love reverberated so strongly, it would never come to fruition; there on the riverbank where Narcissus laid entranced, she could see that there was no room in his heart for anything but himself._


End file.
